Detachable heel



J. D. ZUBlA ET AL DETACHABLE HEEL Filed April 21, 1930 INVENTORS D. ZUB/A J05EPH y Nmuez. 5. 6

Patented Oct. 27, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHIE JOSEPH D. ZUBIA AND MANUEL S. GUTIERREZ, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA DETAGHABLE HEEL Application filed April 21,

Our invention relates to boots, shoes and the like, and it has for a purpose the provision of a simple, durable and effective means for fixedly securing a heel to a shoe in such manner as to permit the ready detaching of the heel should it become damaged or unduly worn and the substitution of a new heel. Our invention also permits heels of various heights, shapes, and color to be used on one and the same shoe so that the shoe may be used as a dress or walking shoe.

It is also a purpose of our invention to pro-' vide a detachable shoe heel which is characterized by the latching means for securing the heel to the shoe being carried by the shoe and not by the heel, with the advantage of effecting a more secure support for the heel,

and attaching the heel with such a degree of security as to prevent relative movement of c the shoe and heel.

We will describe only one form of detachable shoe heel embodying, our invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view showing in vertical longitudinal section one form of shoe having applied thereto one form of detachable heel embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the released position of the parts for holding the heel on the shoe incident to removal of the heel.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the heel detached from the shoe.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of that part of the device which is pivotally attached to the shoe.

In carrying out our invention, we provide a plate 15 of metal or other suitable material including a relatively narrow portion 15 which extends forwardly from a wide portion 15 the narrow portion adapted to be secured to the under-side of the instep of a shoe by means of screws or other suitable fastening members, and the wide portion adapted to be secured to the upper side of a head H. This head at the upper side is re- 1930. Serial No. 446,087.

cessed-to receive the wide portion 15*, and its lower side is convened and provided centrally with a tongue T. This tongue extends longitudinally of the head H and, in cross section, is of substantially dovetail form in 65. order to coact with the groove formed in the shoe heel for mounting the heel on the shoe.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tongue is provided with a pocket 16 opening to one end of the tongue, and in which is received a 60. plunger 17 urged outwardly by a coil spring 18. At its upper side the plunger is provided with an opening 19 and at its lower side with a slot 20, this opening and slot receiving an upwardly extending arm 21 of a latch 22 which is pivoted in the tongue by means of a pin 23 and so as to move in the slot 2st of the tongue.

From the foregoing construction it will be clear that under the action of the spring 18, the plunger 17 is urged outwardly with respect to the tongue, and in this position of the plunger the latch 2-2 occupies a projected position with respect to the slot 24. By pushing the plunger inwardly and against 7 the tension of the spring 18, the plunger actuates the arm 21 to swin the latch into retracted position within the slot 24;. This retracted position of the latch constitutes its released positionin respect to the heel which 30 it is designed in part to secure to the shoe.

As best illustrated in Fig. i, the heel embodied in our invention and designated at L may be a heel of the Spanish type as used for dress, or a lower heel as used for walking, the particular type of heel being immaterial, as it will be understood that our invention is adaptable to heels ofany form, and of several forms for any one shoe to permit the shoe to be used as a walking shoe or as a dress shoe. The heel L is characterized by having an upper surface 25 of concave form to conform to the contour of the convex surface of the underside of the head H so that when the heel is applied as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 it will accurately conform to the contour of the head. By reason of the contour of the head and heel, the heel is braced against wobbling movement on the head, but in addition, the heel is provided with a groove 26 having the thereby retracting the latch'22 free of the keeper 27 when thetongue T canbe removed from the groove 26, and the heel thus de-' i: l I W N same cross sectional contour as that of the tongue T so as to receive the tongue; In the bottom of the groove 26 is a keeper member 27 for the latch 22, the latch engaging this keeper when in projected position, as'shown in Fig. 1, in order to prevent Withdrawal of the tongue from the groove. p In practice, the heel is applied to the shoe by presenting the concave side of the heel to I the convex side of the head H and fso that the groove26 is aligned at its open-endwith the adjacent end ofthe' tongue T. Byladv vancing the heel from this position the t'ongueis moved into the groove, and When pushed home therein the latch 22 engages the keeper 27 and thus securesthe tongue against displacement from the groove. therefore is now locked to, the sho To remove the heel from the shoe it only,

., The heel sition, a heel having a groove therein for receiving said tongue, and a keeper on the heel engaged by thelatch for securing the tongue against displacement from the groove.

4-; In combination, a shoe, a head secured to the. shoe, a tongue formed integral with thehead, a plunger movable in the tongue and yieldably vurgedto one-extreme position, a heel having a groove receiving said tongue, a keeper in the groove of the heel,

and a latch on the tonguenormally occupying aprojected position to engage said keeper and movable to a retracted'position by actuation of said lung er to disengage the keeper.

' V J SE H'DZUBIA.

necessary to pushthe plunger 17 inwardlytached from the shoe.

Although we have herein shown and described only one form of detachable shoe heel embodyingour-inventiomit-is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from scope of the appended claims.

We claim: r

1. Incombination, a shoe, a head secured to the shoe, a tongue on the head, a heel havthe spirit of the invention and the spirit and ing a groove therein for receiving the tongue, a keeper on the heel wlthln the groove, a

latch'on'the tongue yieldably urged to a projected position'for engaging the keeper to secure the tongueagainst removal fromthe. V

i groove, and a plunger movable in-the tongue" to retract the latch out of engagement with the keeper.

J 2. Incombination, a shoe, a head secured.

to theshoe and having a convexsurface, a

tongue formed integral with the head and projecting from said surface, a plunger movable in the-tongue and yieldably urged to one tuation of said extreme position, the heel having'a concave surface contacting with the. convex surface of said head and a groove receiving said tongue, a keeper inthe groove of the heel,

. and alatch on the tongue normally occupy ing aprojected position to engage said keeper and movable to aretracted positionfby ac-' plunger to disengage the keeper.

In combination,"a shoe, a head secured to the shoe, a tongue on the headhaving a MANUEL s. GUTIERR-EZ.

ocket therein and aslot communicatin with P a:

the pocket, a plunger movable in the pocket;

a sprin in the pocket for urging the plunger outwardly of the latter, a latch pivoted in 1 said slot andhaving an arm- =engagi-ng the ormal position of p T the plunger thelatch occupies a projected'poplunger so that in then 

